


Record of Ragnarok: Light and Darkness

by Faye_Verum



Category: Record of Ragnarok (Manga)
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-01
Updated: 2021-01-01
Packaged: 2021-03-11 03:46:57
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,572
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28478649
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Faye_Verum/pseuds/Faye_Verum
Summary: The gods have convened to decide whether humankind is worthy to live, and it seems like the annihilation of mankind is all but assured- until a certain god steps in to challenge his fellow divinities. He proposes that instead, humanity's future be decided a different way- through Ragnarok, a series of one on one deathmatches between human and god. His challenge accepted, the fate of humanity now rests in the hands of this god and his eleven chosen fighters.Will humanity defy their fate, or will the gods prove that their might cannot be matched? Find out in these clashes of light and darkness.
Comments: 2
Kudos: 11





	Record of Ragnarok: Light and Darkness

In a building at the center of heaven, beyond the boundaries of the human realm, a certain tribunal was taking place. One that only took place every thousands of years, unknown to mortal man, but of the utmost importance in deciding their future. 

This was the Council of the Gods- the gathering of divine beings from across the heavens, from the various pantheons of the world, to decide the future of humanity for the next thousands of years. And it seemed like, before the judgement of the gods had been cast, humanity’s fate was already sealed.

“Look at what humanity has done with our gifts. They steal, they kill, they destroy what they’ve been given. The earth is dying, and only humanity is to blame.” declared a god. His large, black beard, chin length hair, and striking golden eyes, as well as his white robe of Greek fashion, were recognizable by all. He gave off a commanding aura, one that would make a hardened warrior shut up and listen, as he spoke with a thunderous voice. After all, this was Zeus- one of the Supreme Three gods, the three divine beings who led the most well known pantheons in the heavens.

As Zeus spoke, images of atrocities from across the mortal world flashed on screens around the room, displayed in all their uncensored glory. Scenes of bloody wars, of starving children and those who refused to help them, of oceans and skies ravaged by pollution, filled the eyes of the gods.

And with that, another god stood from his gilded seat. His skin was tanned, and his body was adorned with the finest white silk and gold, as well as jewels of different colors. His head was that of a hawk’s, however, with feathers of deep brown and a pharaoh’s crown of gold, signaling his status as the supreme god of Egypt- this was the sun god Ra. He spoke, with the same powerful presence that his fellow god of the Supreme Three had.

“Look at this. Look! Do you not see the evils of humanity within these screens? It’s no longer a question as to what must be done- humanity must be exterminated. They are no longer worthy to bear our gifts and tread the land they’ve been given.”

The gods murmured amongst themselves in agreement as Ra returned to his seat. Indeed, it appeared to them humanity was a lost cause. They had seemingly not improved after they were just barely spared a thousand years ago. And now, even the gods who had voted for their survival seemed to have lost faith in the mortals. 

“If I may. Perhaps we should proceed to the voting now, given that we seem to all be in agreement regarding the destruction of humanity.” stated a goddess. Her eyes were a brilliant orange, and her hair long, loose, and brown- but in her gaze was only contempt for humanity, a contrast to the warmth of her eyes. She wore flowing robes of a Japanese design colored a pristine white, divine gold, and warm red and orange, as well as a red and gold obi, and white pants. Everyone knew her well as the final member of the Supreme Three gods- Amaterasu, sun goddess of the Japanese pantheon.

“Of course. Let us now proceed to voting.” declared Zeus with a tone of finality that left no room for objection. Quickly, without hesitation, each god cast their vote, determining just exactly what would happen to humanity. In less than a minute, voting was finished, and the gods’ judgement was locked into place.

As expected, the total result came to an overwhelming victory in favor of humanity’s annihilation.

“Now wait just a minute.”

Before the Supreme Three gods could even announce the result of the voting, a man barged in, accompanied by another who trailed behind him. The first of these figures had wavy yet styled short midnight black hair, and sunken eyes of a similar color, with visible eyebags and deathly pale skin. He wore sleek ebon armor, with a ridged, intimidating design, a skull design with hollow eyes adorning the chest of the armor, the armor topped off with a billowing pitch black cape.

This was the ruler of the Greek underworld, Hades.

“How dare you interrupt the tribunal of the gods-” began Amaterasu, but Zeus raised a hand to signal her to let him speak first- he wished to be the one to see what his brother had come for. Hades was known for not appearing at the council of the gods, after all.

“Brother.” Zeus said, barely holding back his scorn. “And to what do we owe the pleasure?”

“It’s simple.” Hades said. “I’m not going to let you destroy humanity. Not like this.”

Upon hearing those words, an uproar of laughter descended from the seats of the gods, but Hades remained still and resolute. He had anticipated a reaction such as this. Zeus narrowed his eyes, and spoke, his words immediately stopping the laughter from the gods present.

“And how do you plan to do that? The vote has already been cast. No speech or appeal can change that, not now.”

“Oh, I’m not going to bother with some huge, grandstanding speech about the goodness of humanity.” replied Hades. “But I will ask you. Give humanity another chance. Not another thousand years. But one day. ”

“One day?” Zeus questioned. “How, may I ask, can they prove themselves in a single day?”

“This won’t just be any day. It’ll be a day that shows you stuck-up fuckers just exactly why humans deserve to survive. How they’ve waged their lives to prove themselves not just to you, but to the whole wide world. It’ll be Ragnarok. ”

With those words, Hades gestured to the man who had accompanied him: a brown haired gentleman in an elegant black tailcoat, with wings that had feathers of darkness, and short, neat black hair. Each of the gods recognized him as Thanatos, messenger of death, and Hades’ right hand man. Thanatos nodded and tapped on the tablet he was holding. A set of rules and conditions were displayed on the screens around the room, and each god observed them with disbelief. Hades cleared his throat and spoke again.

“One-on-one deathmatches between god and man. If the humans win the whole thing, you spare humanity. They lose, and you can do whatever you want with them.”

Zeus considered Hades’ proposition carefully. Perhaps it would be wise to demonstrate the power of the gods- and if he declined, what would the other gods see it as? Weakness? Cowardice? An acceptance of the possibility that humanity could emerge victorious even once? Zeus, with his signature commanding voice that rumbled like thunder, gave his reply.

“Very well. I accept these terms. But if- no,  _ when _ humanity loses...consider it undeniable proof that challenging us is and always will be foolish, Hades.” The gathered gods began to murmur in surprise, but not defiance- if Zeus agreed, it must be the right choice, and a chance to demonstrate their power was always welcome.

“Heh. We’ll see about that.” chuckled the god of the dead.

“In any case. You have one week to gather your fighters. This council of gods is adjourned.” declared Zeus. With that, the gods began clearing out, talking amongst themselves about the tournament to come. Hades turned, and without another word, left, Thanatos following him from behind. He had said all that needed to be said.

“You’ve already recruited each of the humans, right, Thanatos?” Hades said as he walked through the halls of the conference building, on his way to the exit. 

“Of course, lord Hades. They’ve each accepted the invitation and are ready to fight.”

“Good. And what of the underworld spirits?”

“Also ready. I’ve assembled them at your palace.”

“Good work, Thanatos. Looks like we’re ready to get this show on the road.”

One week later, the Ragnarok arena was abuzz with the roars of a divided audience- half of the audience being gods that had assembled from all pantheons, the other half being humans from across time, gathered to witness the matches that would decide the fate of their people. It was truly a spectacle worthy of the gods, as both sides waited in anticipation to see who their first champions would be.

Above the audience, in a special box from which he and his supporters observed the arena, Hades and Thanatos watched the crowd below. A woman with neat scarlet hair that barely grazed her shoulders, wearing a dress of black and golden glasses, accompanied them- this was Persephone, the wife of Hades, who had aided in gathering and choosing the human fighters for this Ragnarok.

“I hope everything goes well. Our chosen heroes should be enough, but...'' Persephone said, nervous yet trying to remain calm and collected. There were many things that could go wrong here, and everyone in the room knew it.

“Relax. I’m sure it’ll be fine. These are the champions of humanity- we picked each of them for a reason.” Hades said, his confident, cool grin unwavering. 

“Sir, I’ve received the list of fighters.” Thanatos interrupted, tapping his tablet in order to open said list. Hades’ grin widened ever so slightly.

“Heh. Let’s see it, then.” Hades replied. Thanatos turned the screen towards his master, who raised his eyebrows before speaking.

“Well, well...looks like they’re not gonna make it easy for us.”

**Author's Note:**

> Welcome to my Ragnarok tournament! I've seen a few others write stories like this, and, as I'm into history and mythology, and love the emotional battles of Record of Ragnarok, I decided to put my writing skills to use and hold my own. Apologies for not getting into the first match with this quick setup chapter, but be assured it'll be shown next chapter. For now, I've given you the list of fighters, so feel free to speculate on who's fighting against who!


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